Two Men Arrested in Connection With Santa Barbara County Marijuana Growing Operation

Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 4:00pm

Two men have been arrested, after authorities say they found them with weapons, and marijuana from a marijuana growing operation in the Los Padres National Forest.

Two weeks ago, a hunter stumbled across what he thought might be a marijuana grove in the Happy Canyon Road area of the forest, northeast of Santa Ynez. He notified authorities.

During a surveillance operation today, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department deputies, working with the California National Guard, and U.S. Forest Service entered the area, and arrested two men. They say they found two loaded guns, along with about 100 pounds of processed, and packaged marijuana which had apparently been prepared for pickup. The marijuana came from about 1600 plants, and is valued at around $250,000.

The two men were identified as Joel Lopez, and Cipriano Torres. Authorities say both men are Mexican nationals who are in the U.S. illegally.